Steny Hoyer

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Steny Hoyer
26th Majority Leader of the United States House of Representatives
Incumbent
Assumed office  January 4, 2007
Preceded by	John Boehner
21st Minority Whip of the United States House of Representatives
In office January 3, 2003 – January 3, 2007
Preceded by	Nancy Pelosi
Succeeded by	Roy Blunt
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Maryland's 5th District
Incumbent
Assumed office  May 19, 1981
Preceded by	Gladys Spellman
Born	June 14, 1939 (1939-06-14) (age 68) New York City, New York
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	Judith Hoyer (widowed)
Religion	Baptist

Steny Hamilton Hoyer (born June 14, 1939) is a Democratic member of the United States House of Representatives, representing Maryland's 5th congressional district since 1981. On November 16, 2006, Hoyer was elected as House Majority Leader over John Murtha of Pennsylvania.^[1][2] He is the first Marylander to become Majority Leader.^[3]

[edit] Early life and family

Hoyer was born in New York City but grew up in Mitchellville, Maryland. His heritage is Danish; "Steny" is a variant of his father's name, "Steen"^[4], and Hoyer is an anglicized form of the fairly common Danish surname Høyer. He graduated from Suitland High School in Suitland, Maryland. In 1963, he graduated magna cum laude from the University of Maryland, College Park, where he also became a member of the Sigma Chi Fraternity.^[5] He later earned his J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, D.C. in 1966.^[5] In the 1960s, Hoyer interned for Senator Daniel Brewster (D-Maryland), along with current Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.^[6]

Hoyer has three daughters: Susan, Stefany, and Anne from his marriage to his wife, Judy Pickett Hoyer - who died in 1997. Hoyer also has 2 granddaughters, 1 grandson and a great granddaughter born on November 2, 2006. His wife was an advocate of early childhood education, and child development learning centers in Maryland have been named in her honor ("Judy Centers").^[7] She also suffered from epilepsy, and the Epilepsy Foundation of America sponsors an annual public lecture in her name.^[8] Hoyer, too, has been an advocate for research in this area, and the Epilepsy Foundation presented him in 2002 with their Congressional Leadership Award.^[9]

[edit] Maryland Senate career

In 1966, at the age of 27, Hoyer won a seat in the Maryland State Senate, representing Prince George's County, Maryland.^[5] In 1975, at the age of 35, Hoyer was elected President of the Maryland State Senate, the youngest in state history.^[10] In 1978, Hoyer sought the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor of Maryland but lost out to Samuel Bogley. In the same year Hoyer was appointed to the Maryland Board of Higher Education, a position he served in until 1981.^[5]

[edit] Career in the House of Representatives

An earlier Congressional photo portrait of Hoyer.

In 1981, Maryland Representative Gladys Spellman fell into a coma and her seat was declared vacant. Hoyer defeated Spellman's husband in the primary election, and then defeated a better funded Republican candidate in the general election, earning himself the nickname the "boy wonder".^[11] He is now the longest-serving House member from Southern Maryland in history, as well as the highest-ranking member of Congress in Maryland history.^[10]

Hoyer has served as chair of the Democratic Caucus, the fourth-ranking position among House Democrats, from 1989 to 1994; the former co-chair (and a current member) of the Democratic Steering Committee; and as the chief candidate recruiter for House Democrats from 1995 to 2000. He also served as Deputy Majority Whip from 1987 to 1989.^[5] On November 14, 2002, Hoyer was unanimously elected by his colleagues in the Democratic Caucus to serve as the House Democratic Minority Whip, the second-highest-ranking position among House Democrats.^[10]

In Congress, Steny Hoyer has built a reputation as a defender of Federal employees and a leader on education and human and civil rights issues. He is perhaps best known for serving as the lead House sponsor of the Help America Vote Act, which President Bush signed into law on October 29, 2002, and for sponsoring the passage of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.^[10]. A few of his cross over votes on economic issues include supporting NAFTA, the Private Securities and Litigations Reform Act, the Freedom to Farm Bill, Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act, and attaching a balanced budget amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

In October 2006, Hoyer apologized for commenting that Lieutenant Governor of Maryland Michael S. Steele, an African American, "slavishly" supports the Republican Party. Hoyer made his comments at a campaign rally for Ben Cardin, Steele's opponent in the 2006 United States Senate election. [1]

Hoyer also serves on the Board of Trustees for St. Mary's College of Maryland.^[5]

President Bush meets with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer on November 9, 2006.

Nancy Pelosi became the Speaker of the House in January 2007. Hoyer, the second-ranking Democrat in the House, was elected by his colleagues to be House Majority Leader for the 110th Congress. He was successful in his bid for the leadership position against fellow Democrat John Murtha of Pennsylvania by a margin of 149-86 within the caucus^[1][12].

As Majority Leader, Steny Hoyer will accept e-mails only from Maryland residents. This is in spite of the fact that as House Majority Leader he is in a position of national prominence in dealing with policy that affects the entire nation. It is, however, consistent with the internal policies of most members of the House of Representatives that typically only respond to constituents in their districts. His Washington office phone number is 202-225-3130 and fax is 202-226-0663.

[edit] Position on international affairs

• India: Hoyer supports civilian nuclear cooperation with India [2]
• Iraq: Hoyer opposes continuing the Iraq War, favoring what he calls a "responsible redeployment" from Iraq. [3] However, he has repeatedly sponsored legislation to continue funding for the war without deadlines for troop withdrawal, most recently in return for increased funding of domestic projects. [4]
• Israel: Hoyer is a supporter of Israel, and has often been allied with AIPAC. In September 2007, he criticized Rep. Jim Moran for suggesting that AIPAC "has pushed (the Iraq) war from the beginning," calling the comment "factually inaccurate." ^[13].
• Iran: Hoyer has stated that a nuclear Iran is "unacceptable" and that the use of force remains an option against Iran^[14].
• Human Rights: Hoyer is a former chairman of the Helsinki Commission and a vocal supporter of human rights around the world.

[edit] Election history

Election history of Steny Hoyer:^[15]

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Steny Hoyer

• Congressman Steny Hoyer official U.S. House website
• Office of the Majority Leader Steny Hoyer official website

• Biography at the Biographical Directory of the United States Congress
• Voting record maintained by The Washington Post
• Campaign finance reports and data at the Federal Election Commission
• Campaign contributions at OpenSecrets.org
• Biography, voting record, and interest group ratings at Project Vote Smart
• Issue positions and quotes at On The Issues
• Profile at SourceWatch Congresspedia
• "The Establishmentarian" by Zachary Roth, Washington Monthly, November 2006

v • d • e Majority Leaders of the United States House of Representatives Payne • Underwood • Kitchin • Mondell • Longworth • Tilson • Rainey • Byrns • Bankhead • Rayburn • McCormack • Halleck • McCormack • Halleck • McCormack • Albert • Boggs • O'Neill • Wright • Foley • Gephardt • Armey • DeLay • Blunt (acting) • Boehner • Hoyer

v • d • e Minority Whips of the United States House of Representatives Underwood • Lloyd • Dwight • Burke • Hamilton • Oldfield • McDuffie • Bachmann • Englebright • Arends • McCormack • Arends • McCormack • Arends • Michel • Lott • Cheney • Gingrich • Bonior • Pelosi • Hoyer • Blunt